South Pasadena Eclectic Music Festival and Art Walk

On Saturday, May 9, I headed down to South Pasadena and checked out the inaugural South Pasadena Eclectic Music Festival and Art Walk. The local festival brought out a ton of locals and families, and was quite an entertaining afternoon/evening. Multiple stages were set up at three locations along the city’s Mission Street; one in the parking lot of Citizens Business Bank, one at the Mission Gold Line Station and one at Trader Joes.



Local artist provided a range of musical entertainment, while several of the art galleries along the Mission Street art district threw open their doors and showcased their amazing works of art. In addition, a few local restaurants set up food stands at each of the stages.



The stage in the Citizens Business Bank parking lot had a good turnout and folks were really into the music. The food and drink stands were doing a decent amount of business and almost every table was full.



The stage at the Mission Street Gold Line Station had less space, but was nestled amongst the trees next to the tracks, with the chairs set up on the grass next to the South Pasadena Historical Museum. The setting was perfect for music and the setting sun cast the area in a beautiful light. Families mingled around enjoying the music and eating delicious entries from the Italian and Thai food stands, while the next door metro station periodically welcomed north and south bound commuter trains.



Unfortunately I wasn't able to view the stage at the Trader Joes, but the city did provide a good shuttle service that took people around to the three stages roughly every 10 minutes.
Nine art galleries threw open their doors and welcomed visitors to tour and view the wonderful creations of local artists. Throughout the event, visitors also got to sample delicious wine and beer from two local businesses; the San Antonio Winery and Angel City Brewery.

Overall the event appeared to be quite successful and I certainly hope that the city makes this an annual event. The charm of Mission Street mixed with the wonderful music, beautiful art and great food to make for a very enjoyable event!

Here are a few additional photos from the event: